Decorticating-machine for removing outer covering from coffee



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. L. NOTLEY. DEGORTIGATING MACHINE FORREMOVING OUTER COVERING PROM COFFEE. 4. Patented Sept. 2, 1890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. L. N OTLEY. DEGORTIGATING MACHINE FOR REMOVING OUTER COVERING FROMCOFFEE. No. 435,854. Pat 'ed Sept. 2, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. NOlLEY, OF SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA.

DECORTICATING-MACHINE FOR REMOVING ()UTER COVERING FROM COFFEE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,854, datedSeptember 2, 1890.

Application filed January 18,1890. Serial No. 337,310- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN L. NoTLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Santa Cruz, in the county of Santa Cruz and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDecorticating-Machines for Removing the Outer Covering from Cofiee orother Seeds or Berries; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to an improvement in decorticatin g machineryadapted particularly to be used for the purpose of removing or strippingoff the outer shells or husks from cofieeberries, but suitable for usein stripping other and various kinds of seeds or herries of their skinsor wrappings, the object of theinvention being to provide a simple,easilymanaged, and effectively-operating machine for the purpose justsuggested; and the invention consists in the construction, arrangement,and combination of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating myinvention, Figure l isaside elevation of my improved decorticating-machine. Fig. 2 representsthe detailed construction of one of the shoes, dies, or rubbing plates,it being illustrated in this figure in top plan, side elevation, andbottom plan. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the entire machine. Fig. 4represents in detail the construction of the traveling bed or apron, theoperation of it being in this figure shown in edge view and in planview.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutall the different figures of the drawings.

The main frame A is preferably arranged substantially in an inclinedposition, it being mounted upon legs, supports, or standards A A. Saidmain frame may be of any convenient structure and shape, it being onlynecessary that it should be so built that it may accommodate the severalmechanical parts which constitute the improved decorticatingmachineherein presented.

B denotes a hopper into which the coii'eeberries or other material to bestripped or divested of its outer covering are thrown or deposited inany desired manner. This hopper is preferably located at a point nearthe upper end of the inclined frame. The bottom of said hopper isprovided with an exit-opening for the material to be deposited therein,which exit-opening is governed and regulated by a slide G, formed sothat it may be easily grasped by the hand of the operator. By suitablymoving the slide the opening will be uncovered, so that thecofiee-berries may have free exit from the hopper, and when the slide isclosed the outlet for the berries is cut off.

The main frame of the machine is provided with inclined parallel sides EE, to which the hopperB is firmly secured. (See Fig. 1.)

At each end of the machine is journaled a shaft carrying a series ofpitch-wheels C, which engages the traveling bed. These pitch-wheels C Care provided at suitable points around their periphery with transverseparallel flutin gs or grooves o c c, which grooves are adapted toreceive suitable projections on the under side of the traveling bed, sothat as the said wheels revolve the said bed may be propelled forward,as will be hereinafter fully described. One of the shafts for thesewheels as, for instance, thelower one-is held preferably innon-adjustable bearings. The other-as, for instance, the upper one-isheld in a bearing which may be adjusted more or less by suitable means,as, for instance, the set-screw a, passing through a part rigid on theframe and operating a slide-box, which carries the shaft of the upperpitch-wheel C, as clearly represented in Fig. l. justability of one ofthe pitch-wheel shafts enables the required tension of the traveling bedor apron to be regulated.

The construction of the traveling bed or apron is best shown in thedetails in Fig. 4. It consists of a series of sections F F, which arehinged together by hinged joints. Each section F is preferably furnishedwith a bearing f, having a round semicircular side on the bottom of thesection and having a length equal to half the width of the section.Through these bearings f pass pins. In this way the sections areconnected together inovably so that they may be quickly joined ordisjoined as occasion requires. When they are fast- This .ad-

ened together, they present a continuous surface, which is preferablycorrugated or otherwise roughened to facilitate thestrippin gof theskins ofi the coffee. The projecting bearings f f, just referred to,serve to enter the flutings or grooves c c in the pitch-wheels O O. Thistraveling bed, thus constituted and consisting of interjoined sections,is of suitable length to permit it to extend around the pitch-wheels OC, and thus affords a traveling surface, which passes directly beneaththe hopper B and receives from said hopper the coffee-berries as theyare discharged through the openin g in the hopper. An inclined series ofparallel horizontal rollers D D, arranged close to each other, as shownin Fig. 1, serves to give the traveling bed a firm and rigid supportwhen it is moving between the two wheels and directly beneath the shoes.Said series of rollers facilitates also the easy movement of thetraveling bed or apron.

Adjacent to the discharge-opening in the hopper is a transverse plateI-I, havinga sharp lower edge, which rests upon or is in close proximityto the roughened face of the moving apron. This plate is termed adistributing or difiusing plate, its function being to spread thecoffee-berries over the width of the moving apron. Being located closeto the point where the berries are discharged from the hopper, it is thefirst obstruction which they meet, and as the berries strike it theywill be more evenly distributed upon the face of the bed, and hence, asthey pass beneath the difiusing-plate, will be presented to the actionof the rubbing shoes or plates, so as to be acted upon in aproper way todivest them of their hulls or skins.

In the frame above the moving bed are arranged shoes or dies, whoselower roughened faces are close to the upper roughened face of thetraveling bed. These dies or shoes are stationary except as to a slightvertical oscillation, of which they are susceptible. Be-

jtween the shoes and the bed the codes-berries are carried during theonward movement of the bed, and it is in this way that said berries arestripped of their coverings. There are several series of these shoes. InFig. 1 they are seen in side view, and in the end elevation of Fig. 3 itis seen how they are arranged in series. In Fig. 2 the detailedconstruction of one of them is fully and clearly exhibited. Each shoeconsists of the hollow part I, provided with the vertical slot 6,through which passes the horizontal roller b, the ends of which arejournaled in the sides E E of the main frame. In the upper end of thepart I is a set-screw d, the lower end of which projects itself into theupper portion of the slot e and bears upon the horizontal roller orshaft b. By adjusting this set-screw d the position of the face of theshoe with respect to the traveling bed-that is to say, the interval orspace between the two--may be adjusted or regulated. A11 extension J ispivoted by a hinged joint to the shoe I. This extension may be dispensedwith, if desired; but I prefer to use it. The extension is likewisepreferably made hollow. The shoe, as well as the extension, ispreferably narrow. (See the plan view in Fig. 2.) The bottom edge of theshoe I is on a line with the bottom edge of the extension J. To theunder side of the shoe I is secured, by means of screws or othersuitable attaching means, a roughened plate h. To the under side of theextension J is secured, by means of suitable screws or other devices, aroughened plate 9. These plates g and h belonging to each shoe form onesurface when the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Theshoes, arranged in the same row across the machine, will obviously besupported on the same shaft b. Each extension J has a curved projectingfoot m, which, when the dies are all in position, passes under the edgeof the next adjacent shoe I. Thus when the dies or shoes are all in theposition indicated in Fig. 1, their under surface will be one continuousroughened surface, and they will all be stationary except for thevertical play above alluded to.

After the material has been carried through between the traveling bedand the rubbingshoes, it will be discharged into the conduit M, locatedat the end of the frame, and ejected from this conduit through the spoutN. The husks, however, or coverings of the coffee-berries or otherseeds, and any other similar light material, will not pass out throughthe spout N, but will be caught by the air-suction in pipe L, andcarried up through said pipeL to be discharged at the point P.

K designates a fan or blower having a shaft 11, j ournaled in the upperend of the machineframe, on which shaft is a pulley j, belted at Z tothe pulley 7c on the shaft which carries the upper pitch-wheel O. Inthis way the pitch-wheel transmits power to drive the fan, and therevolution of this fan creates the suction through the pipe L, wherebythe husks and light material are thoroughly and effectually separatedfrom the decorticated coffee, allowing the latter to pass out throughthe discharge end into some suitable receptacle there placed to receivethem, while the refuse, being caught by the suction, is disposed of asalready stated.

.Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a decorticating-machine, the combination of the moving bed orapron consisting of interpivoted sections, the pitch-wheels engaging andmoving said bed, the series of shoes having the hinged extensions, thefeedhopper, discharging-conduit, and air-suction pipe, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a decorticating-machine, the rubbingshoe I, the hinged extensionJ, having toe m, and the roughened faces G.

3. In a decorticating-machine, the combination of the traveling apron,the pitch-wheels for supporting and operating said bed, the series ofhorizontal rollers for supporting the bed opposite the shoes, and theseries of shoes supported on a transverse shaft, each consisting of shoeI, slotted at e, and the hinged extension J, together with set-screw cl,substantially as described.

4;. In a decorticating-machine, in combination with a moving bed orapron consisting of interpivoted sections, and the pitch-wheels engagingand moving said bed, a series of shoes supported on a transverse shaft,each consisting of the shoe I, slotted at e, and the extension J, hingedto the shoe I, together with set screw d, for adjusting the position ofthe shoe, all substantially as described.

5. In a decorticating-maohine, the combination of the moving bedconsisting of the interpivoted sections, the pitch-Wheels havingtransversely-grooved faces engaging and operating the moving bed, themain frame having the sides E E, the feed-spout above the bed, theseveral series of shoes mounted on transverse shafts, each shoeconsisting of the shoe I, slotted at e, and the set-screw din the shoebearing on the transverse shaft, substantially as described.

6. In a decorticating-machine, in combination with the moving bed, arubbing-shoe I, slotted at e, the transverse shaft 1), passing throughthe slot e, the set-screw d in the end of the shoe I, bearing on shaftb, the hinged extension J, having toe m, and the roughened faces G,substantially as described,

In testimony whereof I affix n1 ysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN L. NOTLEY. \Vitnesses:

B. HILL, ALFRED A. ENQUIS'I.

